


Lights

by The_Maid_of_Light



Category: Friends at the Table (Podcast)
Genre: F/F, Hanukkah, M/M, Secret Samol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2019-02-22 22:03:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13176132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Maid_of_Light/pseuds/The_Maid_of_Light
Summary: On the way to September, the Kingdom Come celebrates Hanukkah. A Secret Samol gift for @makotrig !!





	Lights

As the Kingdom Come drifts through space towards September, Aria Joie remembers what day it is. Tracking dates is complex in space, particularly when the calendar in question is relative to Earth’s moon. She would’ve missed it, she realizes, if not for a repeating alert she set on her bracelet years ago. After fishing underneath her bed for some time, she draws out a small metal lockbox, inscribed with the name V. Roth. Aria takes each object out of the box with care and sets it aside. An envelope full of sheet music, her first compositions. A poorly thought out political manifesto, graded B- by her teacher. A propaganda postcard of Jace Rethal standing next to his Panther, a few hearts scrawled on in gel pen. Aria sighs. A framed picture of a young girl with frizzy dark brown hair and braces, surrounded by family. Beneath the picture she finds what she was looking for: a small menorah, bronze and lightly rusted with age. Aria rubs a spot of dried wax off the base. An old parting gift. She packs the box back up and sets off for the kitchen.

“Hey, Cass!” Aria cries to the Apostolosian prince currently rifling through the kitchen cabinets. Cass stands up with a start, almost dropping a box of spaghetti in the process.

“Hi...Aria” They fumble with the box for a moment before deciding, maybe, it belongs on the floor anyways.  
Aria steps lightly into the kitchen, “Can you help me cook something? I know the recipe but I’m a mess in the kitchen. I thought, cause you’ve been cooking so much lately, you could help me out?” She flashes Cass a disarming smile.

They cock their head and smile back. “Well~ to be honest I really only cook pasta, but... I’d be glad to be help.”

“Perfect. Now did you see any potatoes while you were down there?”

Cass sighs and returns to searching through the cabinets. Aria sets the menorah down on the table and smiles softly.

\---

Fresh from her evening workout, Jacqui Green strolls into a bustling workstation in what was formerly the Kingdom Come’s kitchen. Cass stands by the stove tending to a sizzling pan. A sack of potatoes lies strewn over the table, with Aria and Orth peeling them into a large bowl.

“Are you guys...making latkes?” Jacqui stops in her tracks in surprise, stopping just short of knocking over Cass.

“Yeah we are! Come help!” Aria gleams. Jacqui melts.

“Haven’t done this in forever, but I’ll lend a hand,” Jacqui smiles back and takes a seat next to Aria. The two just grin at each other for a moment before remembering the world around them. Orth clears his throat.  
“OH! Let me get you a knife…” Aria hops up and runs to the cabinet.

Jacqui sighs. “So she roped you in too huh?” She asks the beleaguered but amused looking Orth across the table.

“She sure did. Could never say no to that smile, huh?” He gives Jacqui a knowing look across the potato pile.

Jacqui runs a hand through her hair.

“Aaaand here you are!” Aria hands over a peeler to Jacqui. The two get back to working diligently, peeling potatoes into a bowl. Aria snorts. Jacqui looks a bit ridiculous she notices, holding such a tiny peeler in her huge...buff...incredibly strong yet tender metal ar….OUCH! Aria yelps and drops the half-peeled potato, a small cut on her thumb where she nicked it. Jacqui is halfway out of her seat, looking ready to attack whatever hurt Aria.

“You okay there?” Jacqui smiles, easing back down into her seat embarrassed.

“Yea, just...lost my focus.” Aria blushes and picks up a new potato. Jacqui returns to work on hers.

“I didn’t know you were Jewish!” Jacqui exclaims.

Aria laughs. “Must be surprising to not know something about me, I know you read all my interviews.” She teases.

“Well to be fair, I didn’t know you were a mercenary-slash-revolutionary either” Jacqui retorts.

Aria smiles. “I’m kind of a private person believe it or not. I guess I never wanted to let Joypark commercialize...this.” She gestures around the kitchen, as much to the menorah as the scene at large.

“Yea...I get it.” Jacqui nods. “Makes sense. I never had much of this” she gestures the same as Aria, “but what little I had, I wouldn’t want to give up.” She sighs, remembering a different kitchen, a different time.

\---

It’s the sound of something frying that draws Mako Trig out of his latest bedroom sulkfest. Orth had the nerve to ask him to do the ships laundry of all things. What is he, a maid?? Orth seriously expects him to put his hands on everyone’s dirty clothes?? Disgusting. Mako decides he’s still going to pretend to be mad, but he might as well pretend to be mad in the kitchen where the delicious smell is coming from.

“You finished the laundry yet?” Asks a grinning Orth as soon as Mako enters. “Not yet, _dad_ …” Mako snarks. He smirks, satisfied with that sick burn. Aria and Jacqui crack up. Laughing with him, Mako assures himself. Definitely. Orth just rubs his eyes and looks back down to the game they’re playing.

Mako spots Cass standing in front of the stove, and launches himself, plopping his head on Cass’ shoulder to see what he’s doing.

“Hey Cass whatcha frying there?” The pan pops, and a drop of oil flies out, landing directly on Mako’s forehead. He falls off Cass’ shoulder with a yelp.

Cass turns around slowly, amused. “Latkes. Watch out, the oils hot.” Cass smiles at him and rubs the spot of oil off Mako’s forehead. Mako frowns.

“I’m fine, thank you for all your concern Cass.” Mako snipes, rubbing his back dramatically as he gets up off the ground. Cass just shakes his head and turns back to the latkes.

“Hey Mako, come play with us!” Aria calls. He turns with a hmph and joins the three at the table.

“Are we gambling? I’m in.” He says, eager to move past his moment of embarrassment in front of his crush.

“Chocolate, Mako, not credits.” Orth grins, “Lucky for you because we wouldn’t take construction bots as valid bets Mr. Drillbot.”

Aria laughs and Jacqui looks at her confused. “Mako bought a whole fleet of construction bots. It’s a whole thing.” She explains.

“I MAINTAIN!” Mako announces, holding a finger in the air like an overdramatic judge. “It made since at the time! Plus, you were the one who cosigned anyways soooo, really it's your fault if you think about it.” He smirks.

Jacqui looks at Aria bemused, looking for confirmation. Aria just rolls her eyes.

“Whatever Mako, are you gonna play dreidel with us or what?” Aria smiles beside herself. Mako has a way of making her do that.

“Yea yea, gimme some chocolate.”

\---

There’s no sunsets in space, but the lights on the Kingdom Come dimmed on schedule, to give its occupants some sense of routine. By the time the lights were dimming that night, Mako had lost all of his chocolate to a smug Jacqui. Cass had made a huge plate of latkes, with a side of spaghetti for dinner. The Chime shares a meal, enjoying eachothers company as they hadn’t in a long time. The group argues about applesauce or sour cream (applesauce, the correct answer, wins out). Cass dips his in squid ink, to everyone's united disgust. Mako makes stupid jokes that Cass can’t help but laugh at. Jacqui and Aria share sidelong glances, each blushing and turning away when caught. Orth grumbles about unimportant chores, but slowly and surely begins to relax.

When the lights dim fully, Aria lights the menorah. She sings the prayer with a light lifting tone. Her voice sounds different, Jacqui realizes, singing a prayer rather than a pop song, but it carries the same energy, the same passion and excitement for life. The same joy. Jacqui joins in, as does Mako, but neither of them remember the words fully, and the trio ends the prayer on totally different notes, but grinning together at their joint ridiculousness. Orth hums along. Cass smiles softly, missing his old family, but incredibly grateful for this new one.

By the end of the meal, everyone is nearly comatose from eating so much food. The candles are almost burnt out, but Aria lifts the menorah anyways and walks towards the bridge. She enters to see AuDy in the same place they’ve been for the whole trip, stuck in the captain's chair. Aria places the menorah on the dashboard, by a window looking out on the stars. She lays a hand on AuDy’s shoulder and hopes it's a comfort, then leaves the bridge quietly. The light of the menorah shines off AuDy’s medallion, and reflects off into space. AuDy turns, just slightly, to look at it. They sigh. The Kingdom Come sleeps.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! Thanks also to the amazing organizers of secret samol, and to Riley for letting me write such a self indulgent fic :p  
> You can find me on twitter @janietrevelyan   
> thanks so much!! :)


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